Poles Apart - Hardcover

Willis, Jeanne

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0857634925 ISBN 13: 9780857634924

Publisher: Nosy Crow, 2015

Synopsis

Everybody knows that penguins belong at the South Pole and polar bears live at the North Pole - but what would happen if, one day, a family of picnicking penguins accidentally got lost? When the hapless Pilchard-Brown family find themselves at completely the wrong pole, they need Mr White, the friendly polar bear, to guide them all the way home...

About this title

About the Author:

Jarvis did lots of different jobs before creating his first children's book including a bingo caller, a bouncy castle painter, a record sleeve designer and an animation director. He's always doodled characters, and thinks that everything he's done in the past has helped make him a better children's picture book illustrator and writer...maybe not the bingo calling...Jarvis wants the books he creates to be very personal, and particularly loves the nature of children's books, what they can do and how they can be kept and loved as little treasures.

From School Library Journal:

PreS-Gr 1—On the way to a picnic, Mr. Pilchard-Brown misreads the map and leads his penguin family to the North Pole by mistake. Fortunately, Mr. White, a friendly polar bear, comes to help. "Don't think of it as a mistake. Think of it as the start of a big adventure. Maybe I could help you find your way home. I have often dreamed of being the first polar bear to reach the South Pole." Mr. White proves an able travel guide. In the United States, Mr. and Mrs. Pilchard-Brown walk down the street holding flippers while Mr. White gives their three young penguins a ride in a shopping bag through the city. The adventure continues on a double-decker bus in England, a gondola ride in Italy, a trek through India, and a speed boat ride in Australia. This silly tale is not a geography lesson on the best route to travel the 12,430 miles between the North and South Poles. It's a story about friendship and enjoying the journey of life. It is bittersweet when the penguins finally make it back home, since they have to part ways with Mr. White. But it's not quite over yet. Back at home, Mr. White learns that a penguin chick has hatched in his hat. The penguins realize this, too, and return for the chick and to finally have their picnic. Jarvis's bright and colorful cartoon illustrations add enormously to the narrative's charm. VERDICT This selection about friendship and making mistakes is a fun read-aloud and will likely find an audience in libraries everywhere.—Robin Sofge, Alexandria Library, VA

About this edition

• Publisher: Nosy Crow
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0857634925
• ISBN 13: 9780857634924
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 36